*********** and rude

Dear Life Healthcare Management,

I am writing to express my utter dissatisfaction and outrage regarding the unacceptable experience I’ve had with your hospital’s billing department—an ordeal that reflects shockingly poor administrative oversight and unprofessional conduct from a healthcare institution of your supposed standing.

On the 19th of March last year, I brought someone to your Casualties Department. At the time, I was asked to pay two separate accounts—one for the doctor and one for the facility, which I did promptly. That should have been the end of it.

Fast forward more than a year later, I was stunned to receive a call from a lawyer informing me that I’m being blacklisted due to an unpaid hospital account. This was the first time I had ever heard of any outstanding balance.

Upon calling your billing department for clarification, I was met with outright rudeness and incompetence. The staff member informed me that “additional charges” had been added but could not adequately explain why I was never contacted. I was then told that both my email and phone number were incorrectly captured—a completely unacceptable error, especially considering that I provided accurate information at the time of the visit and successfully received the first set of invoices.

As I attempted to question the situation further, the representative hung up on me mid-conversation—a disgraceful act that underlines the contemptuous attitude your staff has towards the very people funding your bloated billing system.

Let me be absolutely clear: I find it appalling that an institution charging premium healthcare rates cannot maintain basic standards of communication, record-keeping, or customer service. To be blindsided with a legal threat a year later—without a single prior communication attempt—is not just negligent, it is *********.

I demand:

An immediate written explanation for how this situation was allowed to occur.

A detailed account of the supposed outstanding charges, along with a corrected invoice.

Written confirmation that all collections and blacklisting actions are halted immediately until this is resolved.

Failure to address this matter appropriately will leave me no choice but to escalate this complaint to the Health Professions Council of South Africa, as well as file a legal claim regarding reputational and financial damages.

I expect a response before COB today.